A Normal Woman, the "riveting" psychological drama from Netflix, has jumped into the streamer's charts over the past week.
The Indonesian film tells the story of Milla (Marissa Anita), a "meek" housewife who believes she has contracted an incurable and mysterious illness. As she begins a descent into madness, the socialite finds herself ostracised by her own family.
Directed and co-written by Lucky Kuswandi, the drama has proved to be a hit with viewers since its release on Netflix on 24 July, with the film jumping into the streamer's worldwide film charts across its first week.
In its first eight days, A Normal Woman was a steady presence in Netflix's top 10 film chart, reaching a peak position of #3 on Sunday 27 July. It was only beaten by Happy Gilmore 2 and KPop Demon Hunters, marking an impressive run for the drama (via FlixPatrol).
Though not widely reviewed by critics, the drama has been well-received thus far, with four of the five reviews listed on Rotten Tomatoes being designated as positive. Its user rating on IMDb is markedly lower, however, currently standing at 4.4 out of 10 from 754 reviews.
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"A Normal Woman is a riveting watch that showcases the internal turmoil of losing yourself among others extremely well," wrote LeisureByte, while Heaven of Horror noted the "very dark" moments that will "make you itch".
"A Normal Woman knows what story it’s telling and precisely how to tell it for maximum mystery and effect, with the only misstep being perhaps too much of a slow-burn approach where interest can waver around a saggy second act," wrote Ready Steady Cut.
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Digital Mafia Talkies was also positive as they praised the "notes of horror" that were "sprinkled" throughout the narrative, though Decider was less enthusiastic as they opined that the film "muddles its thesis" despite the "engaging" filmmaking on display.
If romantic dramas are more to your liking than psychological horrors, then Netflix may have you covered with My Oxford Year, an adaptation of Julia Whelan's 2018 novel starring Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest.
A Normal Woman and My Oxford Year are both streaming on Netflix now.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
